Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-07-14
REPLANTING CORN.
A Practice which Has Never Proved tc
lie Very Profitable.

WY
Let the reader think If he ever know
replant corn to do any good, more than
to make a little fodder. II replanting
missing hills is done it can not be until
sufficient time elapses to give all the
first planting chance to show itself and
often it is three weeks from the time Of
the first planting before the rcplanting
is done. Even two weeks difference in
the ages Of different hills. gives the
older ones such a decided advantage in
size that the younger are soon shaded
so as to be deprived Of their needed pro
portion Of light and air.
Unless the fields are cultiva ted be.
fore the replanting is done, the soil is
apt to have become hard, especially il
heavy rains have fallen, and the newly
planted corn does not have suitable
seed bel. The weeds will also have
got started, and before the rcplant j.
big enough to cultivate they will get
such a start as TO be hard TO over
come.
Then in cultivating all through the
season, any one who has worked In
corn-feld knows how difficult it is to
do good work when the hills vary in
size. Cultivation, to be effective, must
be adapted to the height of the corn,
as regards the depth of working. near
ness to the hills, and character OF
tools.
Another point, and an important one,
is that this rcplant corn will not bear
grain to any great extent. because, IN
addition to the reasons already given
why weak growth is induced, it will
not be properly and sufficiently fertil-
lied with pollen dust. The reader has
often seen single stalk of corn grow.
ing by itself in an open field, and has
noticed that no matter how vigorous
may have been the growth. the at
tempt to produce grain resulted in
cob on which were only few scattered
kernels. The reason OF this is that II
the pollen dust produced in the tasscl,
the male organs ot tho plant, not
enough of 1t falls on the silks, the
female organs, to fertilizc the germ,
Of kernel, which is at the base Of
every f,amcnt Of silk. There is never
a grain Of corn unless a grain Of pullen
dust, the fertilizing element, finds IT.
way into the mouth Of each thread Of
silk. which is a tube, aud passes down
this to the germ lying at the base and
on the cob, and there, under tho mys.
terry Of the vital force, starts this
germ Of life and development When.
therefore, a stalk Of corn stands by
itself, the winds carry large part Of
tho pollen out Of the reach Of the silks.
and the germs fail 10 become fertilizod.
When in a field Of other stalks the
breeze which carries its own dust away,
brings that Of others to II. These
facts also show how II Il that different
kinds Of corn 50 readily mix when
growing alongside
Now, II one-fourth Of the hills scat
tered through the fields are two weeks
later than the other three-fourths, we
ran see that these late hills will not
be ready TO receive the pollen rs IL
falls from the tassels Of the older stalks
When they are ready the older and
more numerous tassels will have shed
lll their pollen, aud these must depend
Dn the few scattered stalks for fertili-
.ation. And these are surrounded by
-he other stalks which serve as a wind
break, that the chances are quite linn
tod that they are sufficiently pollen
zed, and all they amount to is a little
Iodder. This Is not what the replant-
ng is for usually. hence we advise. II
isnecessary, is that the field be
given a shallow plowing or good cul-
.iyation and narrowing and then re-
planted as a whole. The soil now be-
being IN n better mechanical condition
md warmer, the seed will germinate
quickly and grow rapidly. The only
Oss will be the time taken In the first
and the seed and one very
considerable gain viii be the extra cult
IRE given the land and the consequent
-estruetion Of millions of weeds that
lave germinated. - ColDIai's Rural
World.